Olive Garden to Revamp Menu and Design

After struggling sales the Olive Garden is readying for a makeover. The restaurant, whose parent company Darden owns Red Lobster, has suffered during the recession due to consumer spending and attitudes.

As reported in the Chicago Tribune, "Americans are eating out less but demanding more at a lower cost when they do." And Olive Garden has taken a hit. Though Darden did not provide the Chicago Tribune any information on their specific strategy, they did relay they would be redesigning the menu, remodeling the restaurants, and coming out with a new ad campaign. It seems like the executives believe they need a total refresh in order to win back their audience.

The nation's largest Italian chain is not alone in the remodel, redesign, revamping game. In 2011, Au Bon Pain, Wendy's, and Chipotle all announced plans to remodel. A couple years ago no one had heard of a McCafe, the sleekly redesigned McDonald's with a face-lift. And Burger King, though it had planned a slightly higher-cost remodeling in 2009, instead in 2011 decided to scale back its plans for a lower-cost solution.

Whatever it takes, restaurants are responding to consumer spending, lifestyle changes, and evolving tastes. According to Nation's Restaurant News 24 percent of restaurant owners budgets are invested in revamps in 2012 in order to stay competitive.

So what do you think? Is it high time Olive Garden revamps their restaurant?